The Bears stock up on free agents

April 29, 2008|BY VAUGHN MCCLURE

The Bears signed 10 undrafted rookie free agents Monday, including quarterback Nick Hill from Southern Illinois, cornerback Leslie Majors from Indiana and Thornwood High School, and kicker Shane Longest from St. Xavier. Majors is from South Holland, Longest from Wilmington and Hill from DuQuoin.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo promised the team would sign two quarterbacks after passing on, among others, USC's John David Booty, who signed with the Vikings. Angelo followed up by signing Hill and Caleb Hanie from Colorado State.

The rest of the group includes tackle Cody Balogh from Montana, cornerback Trey Brown from UCLA, defensive end Joe Clermond from Pittsburgh, defensive tackle David Faaeteete from Oregon, receiver Curtis Hamilton from Western Kentucky and defensive end Nick Osborn from San Diego State.

The Bears begin their rookie mini-camp Friday.

Fighting words

Much was made of the scuffle at a Senior Bowl practice between Bears first-round pick Chris Williams and defensive tackle Red Bryant, a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks.

Bryant told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer he was trying to break Williams' face mask and said Williams "had a headache for about two days."

Williams brushed off Bryant's claim.

"There's not any truth to that," he said. "As far as beating a man in full pads, I was like, 'I'm not going to break my hand hitting him in the helmet.' I was laughing the whole time, like, 'Please keep hitting me and break your hand and get drafted in the 12th round.'"

The Bears and Seahawks play an exhibition game this year.

Extra points

Darwin Walker, who was cut by the Bears after the season, signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. ... Williams, on the feeling of walking into Halas Hall: "I'm not a guy who is speechless. I talk a lot. So I was speechless for about the first time in my life."